


unclose me

by apliddell



Category: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: Fluff, John POV, Nonbinary Character, Nonbinary Sherlock, Other, first person POV
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-02
Updated: 2015-05-02
Packaged: 2018-03-28 17:52:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3864175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/apliddell/pseuds/apliddell
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sherlock and John muse a bit on how fantastic it is to be seen and known as your authentic self.</p>
            </blockquote>





	unclose me

“Which side, sir?” Alex, the piercing lady held out her little mirror toward Sherlock, her felt tip pen held aloft in the other hand.

“Both,” Sherlock answered, looking into the mirror and frowning a little.

“Both, sir?”

“Both,” Sherlock’s eyes flicked back up to the piercing lady, the frown deepening slightly. “And if you could stop calling me ‘sir,’ that’d be marvellous.”

Alex got this knowing, little smile (I could practically see Sherlock resisting an eyeroll at that), “‘Sir’ is for your dad, right…?”

“Sherlock,” Sherlock supplied, holding out one hand for me rather imperiously. I sidled closer and took it. “The name’s Sherlock Holmes. Both sides, please.”

Alex marked the spot on Sherlock’s ears, and Sherlock turned toward me with a little cock of the head, “What do you think John? Placing all right?”

“They’re your ears, gorgeous,” I said, squeezing Sherlock’s hand.

Sherlock smiled, flushing the tiniest bit, and squeezed back, “Don’t be tedious, John. I’m soliciting your opinion. It happens infrequently enough that it isn’t taxing for you to hazard one, I think.”

I laughed. “All right, clever clogs,” I squeezed again. “Looks good to me.”

“There John, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” Sherlock turned back to Alex, “John’s satisfied. Let’s get on with it.”

Alex bounced her eyebrows, grinning as she pulled on her gloves, “All right, keen! I like it! Let’s crack on then, guys!” Sherlock sat back in the chair with another little eyeroll and squeezed my hand. I squeezed each finger back in turn. The actual piercing part only took a moment, then Alex stepped back and held up her little mirror again. “What do you think, Sherlock?”

Sherlock looked into the mirror and beamed, “Good, very good. Excellent. I’m glad I decided on the tourmaline. Wouldn’t you agree, John?” Sherlock looked toward me, eyebrows raised.

I nodded, “Yeah, definitely. Colour’s great, lovely. You look beautiful.” Sherlock went quite blinky and pink, then smiled and smiled and clutched my hand. I do love that look.

It’s one of the more spectacular things I’ve seen.

...

“Ze.”

“Hmm?” I looked up from my book. Sherlock and I were sat up in bed, side by side. I was reading, and Sherlock was applying a very bloody shade of nail varnish.

“That’s what I want to use,” Sherlock nudged me with an elbow, without looking up from the nail varnish. “Ze.”

“Ze,” I repeated, shutting the book and putting it aside. “Ze and,” I paused to think for a moment. “Zis?”

Sherlock laughed, “Zer. Ze, zer.”

“Right, of course,” I nodded. “Ze, zer. It suits you.”

Sherlock nodded eagerly and looked over zer shoulder at me, “Yes, I think so.” I sat forward and kissed zer cheek, and ze leaned into it for a moment, then went back to the nail varnish. “Mm, I’m glad I talked myself into the nail varnish. I do like the colour.” Ze held a hand out in front of zer to admire it.

“Yeah, it’s a bit like you’ve been disemboweling people with your bare hands, lovely.”

Sherlock laughed, “Yes, exactly. I’m so pleased that we understand each other, John.”

I kissed zer again and ze leaned back, so that I could do the thing properly, “I flatter myself we generally do, love.”

“Indeed. So we do.” Sherlock’s face went sort of solemn under zer smile, “John. Erm.”

“Yeah?” I kissed zer hair. “When’s that stuff going to be dry? Fancy a cuddle?”

“Yes, obviously, but if you smudge me, you will regret it deeply. Five more minutes.”

“Promises, promises,” I grinned and kissed zer again. “Anyway, sorry. I’ve cut you off, haven’t I? You were saying something?”

Sherlock nodded and screwed the cap to the nail varnish back on slowly before ze made any answer, “Yes. I.” Ze slumped back against me with a little sigh, and I put my arm round zer shoulders.

“In your own time, love.”

“I’m glad you’re here, John. That’s all.” Ze turned zer face against me and tucked in zer chin a bit, so that zer expression was hidden.

I kissed zer hair again, “Of course. So’m I. Ha, thank you for having me.”

Sherlock sighed happily, and raised zer left hand to stroke zer earlobe gently, “It’s nice to be. Seen.” Ze looked up at me, “You know?”

“I think so.” I leaned in, and Sherlock kissed me a little absently.

“It’s humanising, isn’t it?” ze said after a moment of quiet. “Being noticed. Recognised.”

“Yeah,” I hugged zer a little tighter. “That’s what I always thought about you, when we met. You made me feel human again. You noticed me.”

Sherlock tucked zer face against my chest again and nodded, “This is a bit like that was, actually. All of this. It’s a bit like falling in love.”

“A bit like falling in love. Hmm.” I stroked Sherlock’s hair and smiled when ze kissed my chest. “I think I know what you mean.”

**Author's Note:**

> The title of this work comes from an ee cummings poem called 'somewhere i have never travelled, gladly beyond'


End file.
